The present invention relates to a device for the suspension and translational guidance of an item of apparatus intended to be displaced, parallel to its longitudinal axis (X--X) with respect to a stationary support, as well as to such an item of apparatus which is equipped with said device.
Although not exclusively, such a device is more particularly appropriate for being used for displacing an item of apparatus which itself forms part of an optical instrument in which it is necessary, for example, to displace one or more lenses with a view to achieving optimum adjustment, it being necessary for this displacement to be performed accurately in the direction of the optical axis of the lens or lenses concerned, without any offcentering or angular offset.
There is already known, from patent FR-2 648 241 in the name of the same applicant company, a device for the suspension and translational guidance of an item of apparatus intended to be displaced, parallel to its longitudinal axis (X--X) with respect to a stationary support, of the type having at least one pair of suspension elements spaced along said longitudinal axis (X--X) and arranged at least roughly transversely to said axis (X--X) while being flexible parallel to said axis (X--X), one end of each of said suspension elements being secured to said item of apparatus and another end of each of said suspension elements being secured to said support, and controllable actuating means intended to exert a force parallel to said longitudinal axis (X--X) on said suspension elements.
However, in this case, each suspension element consists of a single flexible blade which means that when a force is exerted parallel to the longitudinal axis (X--X) on the assembly formed by these two blades, there is a risk of said axis and therefore the optical axis of the lens or lenses concerned being offcentered.
The aim of the present invention is to overcome this drawback.